


France's Past

by Angelik02



Category: Hetalia: Axis Powers
Genre: Arthur Kirkland - Freeform, F/M, Francis Bonnefoy - Freeform, Heartache, Joan of Arc dies, Love Confessions, M/M, Mention of baby Matthew and Alfred, Minor Character Death, War, confused feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-11-28
Updated: 2017-11-28
Packaged: 2019-02-08 04:18:09
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,997
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12856590
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Angelik02/pseuds/Angelik02
Summary: Did Francis really ever love Jeanne d'arc? Or had his heart always belonged to Arthur?





	France's Past

The war had been going for a long time, several decades really, and he was stressed. England wouldn’t stand down, invading France at full force, wiping out their forces, leaving them for dead in their own country. He wanted to give up, it was too painful. He himself wore the scars of his country. He forced himself to keep going though, he didn’t want to let his lifelong enemy break him down. Not yet. His country had so much to do, to evolve, to accomplish, to create, to build, and right now “surrender” wasn’t in his vocabulary. 

As time passed, his scars grew, his country was struggling, but then he met his light. She was seemingly a normal girl, but his eyes were drawn to her when he first seen her in the town of Domremy when she was young. Her parents were poor, and she learnt domestic skills from her mother like any other girl her age. So why did he find her so intriguing? 

He began to talk to her, when she was thirteen in 1425. She told him of how she was starting to hear voices that were sent to her from God. Charles must take the throne is one of the many things she told him. She spoke like someone much wiser than her age, and he trusted her. Any normal person would have accused her of witchcraft, but her words gave him hope that they could win this war against the Brits. He was a personification of his country, so why would it be strange for a girl to be able to hear God’s words? 

Three years passed, and in that time she took a vow of chastity until the war was over. Her father tried to arrange a marriage for her when she was sixteen, but she refused, and won over the court when she told them she should not be forced into such a thing. Her true reasoning was that she loved another man, but there was no way for them to be together until after the war. She must help to save the country.

It hurt him to give her hope that they could be together. He was a country. He would live forever. She was a human. She would grow old and die one day. He truly did love her though, more than anyone could know, more than he loved himself, more than he loved the beautiful lands of his country, possibly more than he had once loved England, but it would be impossible for them to be together, he already knew that. 

In 1928, he travelled with her to Vaucouleurs to make a case at a stronghold of Charles’ supporters. She was turned away by the local magistrate, but she refused to give in. She knew she could help save the country, he knew it too. So together they persisted. Their persistence at the stronghold attracted supporters who believed she was destined to save France. Finally, the magistrate gave in and allowed them to make the eleven day journey to Chinon, the crown prince’s palace, across enemy territory. 

He was distraught when she cut her hair and dressed in men’s clothing to make the journey. He had loved her long golden hair, but accepted that dressing like a man may help her in her audience with the prince. She had asked if he would still love her even if she looked like this, his response was a simple “yes, forever and always, my dear.” 

When they arrived, she pledged her allegiance to Charles, and told him she would see him as the crowned king, and then asked for him to give her an army to lead into Orleans. The royal advisors and counsellors were apprehensive and advised against such an act. Yet, Charles gave it to her in 1929. She rode to battle that March, on a white horse. She forced the British to retreat across the Loire River, with several assaults against them. She even helped Charles win the throne during her time. 

He was proud of her, but he was always afraid that she would die in battle. She was a mortal, and nothing could change that. He fought by her side, and she was more afraid he would get hurt. He knew the fear was irrational, he could not die by mortal attacks, but she did not know that. 

For another year these battles continued. Not once did she lose one, until the spring of 1930. While she attempted to protect a town from the Anglo-Burgundian assaults she was thrown from her horse as the gate was closing. She was locked out, and captured by the Burgundians. They took her to Beaurevoir to keep her as their prisoner. 

He was angry. He couldn’t protect her. He was on the other side of the gate tears falling down his face. She told him if she were to die to remember her by the name of Jeanne d’Arc (Joan of Arc) and asked his name. He said “of course my dear Jeanne, my name is Francis. Don’t give up my love, you cannot die here.” “Francis, I love you,” were the last words she spoke to him, before she was taken away. 

The Anglo-Burgundians put over seventy charges on Jeanne, and despite helping Charles to become king, he made no effort to negotiate for her release. This broke Francis’ heart more than the war itself, so he begged for King Charles VII to do something. Charles did feel as if he was indebted to the woman, so he offered to pay the usual ransom, and threatened to treat the Burgundian prisoners he had horribly. Yet, to no avail. His efforts pointless. They refused, for they had never been as terrified of a commander as they were of her. 

Four months had passed, and she was passed over to the English in exchange of 10000 livres, and taken to Rouen, where she was held prisoner. The only person she could think of was Francis. She cared not for her own life, she just prayed each day that he would be okay. Even on the several occasions where she was almost raped by the guards. Even the days she pleaded to be somewhere she could wear a dress safely but was declined. Even the day she went into the trials of her convictions. 

He was heartbroken. Never had his chest felt this empty. He prayed each day for her to survive, and for no other man to touch her. He loved her with his entire being, and if he could trade places with her, wherever she was, he would in a heartbeat. “That bastard, Arthur, must know about where she is, and what is happening to her. I will never forgive him. Especially if he lets her die.”

Early on in her trial, they attempted to link her to witchcraft, but it was dropped. Soon seventy charges turned to twelve. The biggest charge was the crossdressing, so while she was imprisoned, they gave her a dress, and told her that if she could straighten out then the charge could be dropped. The guards were cunning though, the rape attempts doubled, and eventually they took away her dress completely, and gave her men’s clothes. She refused for as long as she could, but when she finally put the clothes on, she was named a relapsed heretic and she was sentenced to burn like a witch.

He snuck into Rouen to find his beloved. The sight that he seen was nothing short of a nightmare. He had heard the end of her own final address, which contained the words, “I forgive you all for what you have done to me, and have accepted my fate. May your souls rest peacefully when your time too does come to pass. Let you pray for my soul that it finds heaven as I pray for yours this day. And finally to my love, Francis, if you ever hear these words, know that I will love you forever. I am happy though that you are not here to see me in this state, for I do not believe a man should watch his love burn. Goodbye, my love.” Before the words were finished Francis was crying, but remained hidden from sight. He would respect her dying wish. 

They had tied her to a large pillar above the crowd, and she was given a cross by a soldier who had sympathy for her when she had asked. The man’s name was Arthur. No one knew, but he was the embodiment of England itself, and he hated to watch a woman die for sins that were irrational. He did not like the way his country was doing things, but who was he to interfere in the lives of humans? Francis seen him though, and he was grateful Arthur had granted her request, but he wanted to despise him for allowing her to be killed. He knew that there was not much the countries could do to affect the ways of the humans, but still, he felt like it was Arthur’s fault for being at war with him. She died in agony that day, yet her thoughts were solely on her beloved Francis, as the life drained from her.

Arthur had left before she burned, and Francis could no longer bare to watch as he too left. Her screams could be heard for a couple miles out of the town, before there was just silence and everyone went back to their own business. The girl easily forgotten by everyone except two men. Francis and Arthur. It hurt Francis to know there was nothing he could have done, the empty feeling in his chest grew. Arthur had a sinking feeling as well. What had happened shouldn’t have, but it did, and maybe it was the only way for them to win this war. Maybe it was supposed to happen like this. 

Years later, in 1453 the war was over. England had been driven out of France, and France rejoiced. Francis was glad the fighting was over, and that his scars would stop growing, but he still felt empty inside. The woman he loved was dead, and there was nothing he could do to make that feeling go away. So, he delved into a playboy and drunk lifestyle of one night stands. Yet, the nights he was alone he allowed his mask to break as he cried into the darkness. He knew this lifestyle was not a good one, but it helped him bare the unshakeable empty feeling in his heart. 

Every century, France would notice the memories, and pain were slowly disappearing. It didn’t hurt as much as it used to, and when a baby country was brought to him, he started to forget more and more. The baby, Matthew, was a welcomed distraction from everything, and he had a twin brother, Alfred, that was being raised by England. France was always a little timid around the other older country, but during the time with the little countries it slipped a little, but being alone with the british man was a little too much for him to handle. Regardless of whether he would admit it or not, Francis still loved Arthur, despite their past. He had begun to question if it was really the loss of Jeanne that had made him feel empty, or if she was the replacement for the emptiness Arthur had left him feeling at the beginning of the war.

~~~ 

The World Wars had started and France and England had to become allies in order to defeat the Axis Alliance, yet Francis was still apprehensive around Arthur. He was troubled by the resurfacing thoughts of Jeanne whenever he was alone with him. Arthur did not understand the tension radiating off of Francis at the alliance’s meeting, and decided to pull him aside after it was over. 

“Francis? What did I do to make you so… so like this?” 

“What did you do? Arthur, you’re joking right?”

“No. I honestly don’t know what I did. Did I say something?”

“You’re unbelievable. Think back to 1431.”

“I… 1431. In 1431, we were in control of several of french towns. I was in Rouen at the time, as a soldier. We held trials, and we sentenced a french woman to death. I believe her name was Jeanne. I gave her a cross before she was burnt alive. I left before the fire was started… Francis, is that what this is about? The war killed several thousands of men on both sides, so why one wom… No, you fell in love with her didn’t you? You know that we are forbidden from having emotions for any one human, for these exact reasons.”

“You killed her Arthur. They killed her. I couldn’t do anything but stand by and watch as she was lit on fire in front of my eyes. I loved her more than I love the beautiful lands of my country. I loved her more than I loved you! You can’t understand the pain I feel,” Francis was crying now, “You could never understand. I hate you for it.”

“Francis, I… I didn’t want her to die. I couldn’t bare to watch, but what could I do to step into human affairs? You know that as a country, we aren’t allowed to alter the way things happen in any way. You know that,” Arthur set his hand on the crying man’s shoulder, “I’m sorry that things happened the way they did. Really, I am. I can only remember one time in that past few hundred years where you have been happy since our war began. One being when baby Matthew, and Alfred were here. Matthew looks up to you as a father, and now he is worried for you as well. He is scared that you might do something ill-fitting of a country. Please stop making the young one worry.”

“I’ve… I’ve been forgetting about her more recently, especially when my dear Matthew was little, but when the thoughts of her come to me, I feel numb. She was so strong when I needed her, but I was so powerless when she needed me. I have never felt this way, Arthur. Whenever we are alone together, the thoughts of her come back to me. I hear her screams, and see her face. I don’t think anyone could ever fix the numbness I feel. Not even you. But what if… What if all this time, she had only been a replacement for you? I feel like I betrayed her love.”

“Francis. You have an eternity to eventually feel a little more like you used to. Matthew still needs fatherly figure to guide and support him, and we also need to protect our people. We have grown, and the one thing I will request of you, because I do still love you, is that you trust me when I say that I have changed… I’ve been dabbling in some dark magic for a while now, and I’ve found a spell I can actually do. I can bring a spirit here to Earth, and allow you to talk to them. I could bring Jeanne, and let you have some closure, if that is what you wanted, that is.”

“Could you do it now then? Please?”

“Of course,” Britain then started to speak in a foreign language, calling upon the spirits, as he drew in chalk on the floor.

Jeanne appeared in front of them. Her body translucent, and her eyes wide as she looked at Francis. He had tears in his eyes, as he stared back at her. She voice seemed hollow when she spoke. 

“My dear Francis, you haven’t aged a day. You’re immortal, so I suppose that makes sense. I never thought I would see the day were France and England were allied together. It makes me happy to see. But why am I here?”

“Jeanne. I have missed you so much. I wanted to say I am sorry. I couldn’t protect you when you needed me, and you died protecting my country. I will never forget you.”

“Francis, you do not need to apologize. It was not your fault. I knew I would die, I had accepted it. That is why I forgave everyone before my death. What happened was my destiny, and you have your own destiny. I want you to forget me, or at the very least, forget your love for me. You are an amazing man Francis, and you have people around you who care for you. Don’t let your memory of me keep you from loving someone else. Someone that you have loved for a long time, someone that I only helped fill a bit of the void they left. You have someone with you that has been loving you longer than I ever could have. He may not be what you want in this moment, but he is definitely who you need. Remember, he isn’t the one that killed me, it was humans, who have long since passed, that fated me to burn. I know deep in your heart, that you love him more than you ever loved me, and you know that too, deep down.”

“Why would you say that? I don’t want to forget you.”

“You must move on my dear. I am no longer the one that can bring you happiness, that can fill that piece of you that truly wants him. I have been unable to do that for a very long time. I loved you, and you loved me, but we were never meant to be. This is my final goodbye Francis. Arthur will help you get through this, and he will help you remember what that true love feels like, what happiness feels like. Arthur, I leave him to you. I trust you. Goodbye Francis.”

“Don’t leave. Not yet. Please. I don’t want you to feel as if you were a replacement this whole time.”

“Francis, it is time to say goodbye to me. I lived my life the way I wanted, because of you. For that I am grateful. I fought and died to help the country I called home. Do you remember the time when I was young, and you told me you once loved a man? He had blonde hair, and bright green eyes. His eyebrows were different than anyone’s you had ever seen, and his laugh was the warmest thing you had ever heard. His smile made you weak in the knees. You told me that the two of you had been fighting for a long time, but you could never forget the emptiness you felt when he wasn’t with you. Arthur was the man you were talking about, and I knew I could never replace him. I wanted to protect you in the past, to give you a chance to fall in love with him again, because I loved you. I know you loved me, but the love you have for him, was irreplaceable. You loved me because I was different, and that’s okay. The empty feeling in you, is the emotions you tried to give up when I died. I gave you someone to love in place of the man you truly wanted, but I knew that the love you had for him, was so many times more than the love you had for me. You may have mistaken the love you had for me, for something far more deep than what it was. Trust me, I have made my peace, and it is time you made your own. As my final wish. Find peace with yourself in order to be happy, and love again. And no, Francis. You aren’t doing it for me, you know that in your heart. You are doing it for yourself, the way you should. For Arthur, for Matthew, for Alfred, for you. You will find your own sense of peace with yourself, and be happy and love. Not for me, but for you. It is what you wish. It is what you’ve always wished. Now make your dream a reality, Francis. Be the man you wished to be this whole time. Be the man who can love unconditionally. Be a good father to Matthew and Alfred. Be a loving partner to Arthur. Rely on them to help you, rely on them to love you. Help them and love them in return. Destroy the numb void that you’ve been avoiding dealing with. I have faith in you. Goodbye now, Francis.”

“I will do as you say, and I will do it because it is as you say. This is what I had wanted a long time ago. Thank you for opening my eyes. I’m sorry for what I did to you, playing with your heart. I was a horrible man. I’m so sorry. Goodbye, Jeanne.”

The spirit faded away with a small smile, and Francis stood staring at where she had been standing moments before. He told himself what he had to do. Jeanne had told him, and made him realize that he loved Arthur more than he had thought. When he allowed the realization hit him, he felt the warmth of Arthur once again. The kind eyes he had only for him, the smile no one else had ever seen, the emotion that poured out of the green eyed man. Francis turned to look at the man staring at him. Had he really forgotten all of this time what it was like to truly be loved by someone who had more love to give than a human could? Why had he tried to forget what the love Arthur held for him had felt like? Was it because he didn’t want to accept that he could love a man? Had he really triggered a war because he felt insecure about loving a man?

All the thoughts he had, disappeared slowly, as he continued to stare at the man in front of him. Jeanne was right, yes he had loved her, but it wasn’t the same way he loved Arthur. Jeanne’s love was fickle and temporary, and he had known it from the beginning. Arthur’s love was eternal and so much more. How selfish had he been for making Arthur go through all this? He decided he’d allow Arthur vent to him soon about how horrible of a man he had been. Yet, at that moment all he wanted was to feel the embrace of the other, so he took a step forward and wrapped his arms around the other man. 

“I’m sorry Arthur.”

“It’s okay Francis. I know you loved her, and that’s okay. She was human, and she helped you, when I had gotten angry with you. I’m grateful to her for protecting you, but I was jealous to learn just now that you tried to replace me with such a lovely woman.” 

Francis laughed, “I did love her, but in a different way. Now that I think about it, I never had a romantic feeling for her. It was as if, I loved her like a brother would love his sister. The want to protect, and be by her side, but not marry nor even kiss. I wanted to support her, and be there for her, but I suppose if she had gotten married to another man, my heart would not have ached. I felt so lost and heartbroken because she had been ripped away from me and I had failed at protecting her. Yet, no one could replace the feelings I have for you, I know that now.”

They stood there holding each other close, listening to each other’s breathing in the silent room. For a long time Francis had denied his feelings, and created an imaginary idea of love that, in the end, had been platonic. 

“Hey Arthur?”

“Yes?”

“Is it okay if I kiss you?”

“I thought you’d never ask.”

~~END~~

**Author's Note:**

> Hey thanks for reading my first work. And sorry that it was so horrible, I don't write very often. My friends told me I should post it so I did. Lol


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